


Locked Away

by verivala



Series: Grindeldore one-shots [10]
Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Bathing/Washing, Canon Gay Relationship, Cuddling & Snuggling, Intimacy, M/M, Middle Aged Grindeldore, Mild Sexual Content, Naked Cuddling, Neck Kissing, Non-Sexual Intimacy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-16
Updated: 2019-04-16
Packaged: 2020-01-15 03:04:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18490030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/verivala/pseuds/verivala
Summary: Albus and Gellert bathe together during one of their secret meetings





	Locked Away

**Author's Note:**

> For Anon
> 
> Hope you like it :)

Albus woke to the sun shining directly into his eyes. Straining his eyes against the glare, he grunted and turned his head away, noticing as he did so that the other side of the bed was empty. Reaching out, he laid a hand on the vacant spot next to him. His fingers clenched on the sheets. They were cool to the touch.

Sitting up, Albus looked around in the dimness of the room that was only cut off by a small ray of sunlight that was shining through the gap between the heavy, red curtains. There was no sign of Gellert remaining. The clothes that had been strewn on the floor last night were gone, and his wand was absent from the bedside table. Albus swallowed his disappointment. Of course, Gellert couldn't stay. And neither could he. Another part of him was relieved that he did not have to see him; that he did not have to face the inevitable goodbye and the reason for why they were sneaking around in the dark.

After a moment of wrestling with his conflicting emotions, Albus rose from the bed and stretched, hissing at the coldness of the floor beneath his bare feet. He walked to the window and peeked through the crack between the curtains. The view from the window was of an ordinary London street, cloaked in the grey autumn smog that was intercepted by stray rays of morning sunlight. It seemed to be early still; the roads were empty except for a milkman doing his rounds.

Summoning his wand to his hand, Albus drew the curtains closed with the other. With a little swish, the lights in the room flickered on. Albus was ready to gather his clothes and leave before a sound of splashing water stayed him. His heart thumped in his chest; Gellert had not left after all. Placing his wand back onto the table, he walked to the door he hadn't noticed yesterday in their desperate scramble towards the bed. It was a wooden door that had some day perhaps been white, but now the paint was stripping in small strands, and the colour resembled more off-grey than white. The door was open just a crack. Pressing his palm against it, Albus pushed it open more fully.

Gellert was sitting in a bathtub in the middle of the room. The bath was metal, and compared to the otherwise worn room it looked brand new. Gellert's head was resting on the rim, and his hands were splayed along the edges. His hair was wet, the usually styled spikes falling in small curls around his face. A drop of water rolled down one strand, sliding along his cheek and falling into the steaming water. Albus followed it with his eyes, letting his gaze linger on Gellert's pale, lithe chest. Gellert's eyes were closed, but after a moment he cracked one of them open, the pale white seeming grey in the candlelight. He observed Albus for a second, his eye flickering across Albus' face and down his bare chest before he tilted his head slightly to the side, beckoning Albus forward.

Albus stepped further into the room, sliding his underwear down his legs before stepping out of them and kicking them to the side with his foot. Gellert scooted over in the bath, creating a space between him and the edge of the bathtub for Albus to slip into. Albus hissed at the first initial touch of hot water on his skin but soon relaxed against the tub, sliding his legs on either side of Gellert.

Gellert had curled around his legs, his hands holding his knees close to his chest and his head resting against them. Albus looked around for something to use as a washcloth and finally spotted a handkerchief lying on top of the pile of Gellert's clothes. He summoned it to him with a snap of his fingers, Transfiguring it into a cloth as he caught it. Albus dipped the fabric into the water, letting it soak thoroughly before lifting it and dragging it across Gellert's skin. He repeated the movement a few times, feeling Gellert's muscles relax under his ministrations.

His hands lingered on the scars on Gellert's back; thin, silver lines that covered his skin from his shoulder blades to his hip. They had already been there when Albus had first met him, but he had never asked about them, for the one time he had started to, Gellert had immediately changed the subject. Putting the cloth aside for the moment, Albus replaced it with his fingers, tracing the scars one by one. Bending down, he pressed a kiss on the topmost one on Gellert's right shoulder. He mouthed a line across Gellert's skin, causing Gellert to shiver. Albus made sure to kiss every scar, every dip in the skin, sliding his tongue down each one. When he reached Gellert's other shoulder, he bit down gently, making Gellert gasp.

After soothing the bite with his tongue, Albus picked up the washcloth again, and moving closer, drew Gellert snugly against his chest. Gellert did not resist and leaned his head against Albus' shoulder, exposing his neck. Reaching around, Albus next started washing Gellert's hands, lifting them one at the time, dragging the washcloth between each finger and slowly up both arms. When he was done, he dipped the cloth back into the water, and this time wiped it gently across Gellert's chest. He placed his lips on Gellert's neck, pressing small kisses along its length as he slowly crept his hand down Gellert's chest and between his legs.

However, before his hand reached its goal, Gellert grabbed him gently by the wrist. Stilling, Albus quietly asked, "No?"

Gellert shook his head. "Nicht jetzt, mein Schatz."

"Alright," Albus agreed and withdrew his hand. He placed one last kiss on Gellert's shoulder before scooting back a bit, laying the soaking cloth on the edge of the tub as he did so. He drew Gellert to him, cradling him against his chest.

Gellert snuggled close, resting his head against Albus' collarbone. He placed his right hand on Albus' own and pulled it away from his chest, intertwining their fingers as he did so. Tipping his head slightly upwards, he pressed a kiss against Albus beard. "Would you like me to return the favour, my dear?" Gellert asked, his voice low.

"No, thank you. It's alright," Albus whispered back.

Gellert kissed his jaw once more before settling more comfortably against him.

Albus buried his nose in Gellert's hair as his free hand slid up and down Gellert's side. His eyes flickered to Gellert's chest, catching onto the new scars there. Frowning, he swept his thumb over the small marks crisscrossing the skin. They were courtesy of Gellert's brief stint in captivity before he had exchanged places with his follower. As much as Albus knew that Gellert deserved to be jailed, it angered him to know how the Americans had treated him.

Not that he would have been any better off if he had been captured by the British Aurors instead.

Just the thought of Gellert wasting away in Azkaban, slowly being stripped of his sanity and spirit, made Albus shudder. Closing his eyes, he buried his head against Gellert's shoulder, trying to drive away the images conjured by his brain.

A hand rose to cradle the back of his head.

Inhaling deeply, he tried to memorise Gellert's scent, the feel of his body against his own, the hand carding through his hair, the faint beat of his heart.

One day, he would have to stop being selfish. One day, he would have to give this up and raise a wand against the man he loved the most in the entire world. One day, he would have to let them lock Gellert up and throw away the key.

One day, but not now, not yet.

And when the time came, he would remember this moment, the two of them in a bathtub, the warm water, the faintly lit, worn down room somewhere in London.

Just the two of them, locked away from the rest of the world.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope the German is right, I'm not 100% sure.
> 
> If you liked it, please leave a comment :) 
> 
> My Tumblr: bloodtroth


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